Electrically-operated knitting-machine.



H. AiKEN.

ELECTHICALLY OPERATED KNITTING MACHINE.

APPLICATION min ma. 14,. |911.

1,273,802. Patented July 30,1918.

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UNITED y STATES PATENT OFFICE.

HERRICK AIKEN, OFFRANKLIN, NEW HAMPSHIRE, .AS-SIGNOR TO CHARLES L. AIKEN,

Y 0F FRANKLIN, NEW HAMPSHIRE. A l

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented July 30, 1918.

Application liled March 14, 1917. Serial No. 154,719.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, Hnnnrci; AIKEN, of Franklin, in the county-of Merrimack and State of New Hampshire,have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Electrically-Operated Knitting-Machines, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to knitting lmachines, and m invention refers particularly to a simplifie i ing such machines, not-to any special details of the knittin machine itself.

Many circu ar knitting machines as now constructed employ individual electric motors for running them, with different gearing connections for operating the different parts of the machine. The construction is usually such that the motor is located at thev lower art of the machine, and the power is carrie up to the head of the machine, evcntuall driving the cam cylinder when the machine is of the type having a stationary needle cylinder.

The object of my invention is to provide means for simplifying the construction and operation of circular knitting machines, by mounting the electric motor on the head of the machine, with the magnets ofthe rotating element of the motor carried directly by the needle cylinder or the cam cylinder according to whether one cylinder or the other is to be rotated, and then carrying the power down therefrom to operate other parts of the machine such as the pattern mechanism.

To this end my invention consists in the construction substantially as hereinafter described and claimed.

Of the accompanying drawings:

Figure 1 is a sectional elevation of so much of a knitting machine embodying my invention as is necessary to illustrate the same.

Fig. 2 is a plan view of the same.

Similar reference characters indicate similar parts or features in both views.

The machine to which my improvements are applied ma be of any circular type other than that i lustrated. In the drawings I intentionally omit all details other-than those necessary to illustrate one embodiment of my invention. In said drawings, the top plate of the lmitting machine is indicated at 12, said plate having a circular flange 13 to ,SUPPOIG the cam .cylinder 14,

means `or method of operat-VV cylinder 14 to drive the same. Also-secured v tc the cam cylinder isa ring 20 for the commutator sections 21, the brushes 23 for which (Fig. 2) I arecarried by blocks 22 mounted on the cover plate 18.

The motor may be of series wound type or shunt wound type, or universal type, employino either direct or alternating current.

Theower edge of the cam cylinder 14 is formed or provided with a circular series of gear teeth 24 meshing with a gearv wheel 25 loosely mounted on, or secured to, a suitably mounted shaft 26.

The needle cylinder 27 is supported in stationary position by a plurality of arms 28 one of which is shown in Fig. 1, said arms being rigidly connected with a flange 29 of top plate 12 and extending under the gear ring 24.

It will be understood that when the current for the motor is on, the cam cylinder will be rotated to reciprocate the needles in the usual manner, and that the teeth 24 will rotate gear wheel 25 from which power may Y be taken by any suitable gearing and connections to operate other parts of the machine, instead of driving the cam cylinder by means of gear members 25, 24. This will be readily understood by reference to Letters Patent 1,052,877 granted February 11, 1913, to A.'N. Ames, and to partsparticularly illustrated in Figs. Y5, 6, 8 and 34 thereof, especially the latter figure. In said patent a gear ring 2, which is connected with cam cylinder 1 to rotate the latter is in mesh with a compound gear 4, 4a mounted loosely on stud shaft 5, said gear meshing with a gear 6.A If now it be assumed that the gear wheel 25 of the accompanying drawings is like gear 4, 4a of said patent, and in mesh with another gear such as gear 6 of the patent, much of the mechanism of said patent below gear 4, 4a will be driven. As it would in no way aid in understanding my present invention i@ explain the @Pel-ation of sh lower mechanism, I believe it to be unnecesf sar to go into the details thereof.

, f aving now described my invention in one of its embodiments, although Without attempting to illustrate or describe all of the modifications or vvariations thereof, or all modes of use, what I claim is: Y

1. A knitting machine having an electric motor for operating it, the rotary element of the motor being carried by a rotary element of the machine itself at its head7 means being provided for operating other elements of the knitting machine belowr its head by power obtained from the electrically driven element of the knitting machine.

2. A knitting machine having a stationary needle cylinder, a rotatable ring surrounding said needle cylinder and having armature magnets, and field magnets to cooperate with the armature magnets, the inner face of said ring being formed as a cam to aetuate the needles, whereby said ring constitutes a combined earn cylinder and armature magnet carrier. Y'

3. A knitting machine having a .rotary cam cylinder, and an electric motor therefor,` the armature members of the motor being directly connected to said cam cylinder to rotate it.

4. A knitting machine having a rotary cam cylinder, and an electric motor therefor, the armature construction of the motor surrounding the cam cylinder and connected thereto to rotate it.

5. A knitting machine having a rotary cam cylinder, and an electric motor therefor7 the armature construction of the motor bcing connected to said cam cylinder'to rotate it7 gearing for operating other parts of the knitting machine being connected with said cylinder.

In testimony whereof I have ahxed my signature.

HERRICK AIKEN.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for vc cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of atents, Washington, D. C. 

